"When you are evacuated, it makes you think," he said. "I've been in that house 23 years and it makes you think about what's really important; what do you have to take, and, in the end, it's not all that much."

The quickly spreading flames forced many, like Orlando Vigil, to flee in a hurry.

He made it out safely, but had to drop the animals from his property at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds. They're safe now, but he's not so sure about his home.

Private fire crews hired to protect homes

Wildfires spread across Colorado – Plumes of smoke rise above Del Norte Peak in Colorado on Sunday, June 23. Fires have been burning across Colorado since early June.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – Smoke fills the sky as dawn breaks near South Fork, Colorado, on Saturday, June 22.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – Colorado State Patrol Officer Jessie Bartunek speaks to a resident on the outskirts of South Fork on June 22.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – Firefighters monitor a wildfire in a residential area in South Fork on Friday, June 21.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – A photo taken by the Pike Interagency Hotshot Crew shows the West Fork Fire Complex, made up of the West Fork Fire and Windy Pass Fire, burning 15 miles north of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, on Thursday, June 20.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – The West Fork Fire Complex burns 15 miles north of Pagosa Springs, on June 20, as a fire crew truck is parked nearby.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – Smoke from the West Fork Fire Complex consisting of the West Fork and Windy Pass fires fills the sky on June 20.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – A mix of smoke and storm clouds gathers in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Friday, June 14, three days after two major wildfires burned through the area. Rain has aided firefighters in containing the fires.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – Bonnie Kruse hugs her husband, James Kruse, at a press conference in Colorado Springs on June 14.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa speaks during a press conference about the Black Forest fire on June 14 in Colorado Springs. County spokesman Dave Rose told CNN it appeared to be the most destructive in the history of Colorado.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – An orange sky highlights a fire on Thursday, June 13, that has been burning since June 11 near Colorado Springs.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – An aerial view on June 13 shows destroyed house and vehicles after the Black Forest Fire passed through Black Forest, Colorado.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – A Blackhawk helicopter patrols over the Black Forest Fire on June 13.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – A baseball game goes on despite a raging wildfire in Colorado on Wednesday, June 12.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – A firefighter fights a blaze near Black Forest, Colorado, on Wednesday, June 12. The Black Forest Fire is one of two major wildfires near Colorado Springs. The other, the Royal Gorge Fire, is threatening the Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – Smoke billows from the Black Forest Fire near a house north of Colorado Springs on June 12.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – Smoke rises from the Black Forest Fire near Colorado Springs on June 12.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – Smoke covers the area on June 12.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – High temperatures, dry brush and gusty winds are proving to be a catastrophic combination in central Colorado.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – An airplane drops flame retardant over the Black Forest Fire on June 12 near Colorado Springs.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – Schad Dohl watches a wall of fire as it rages through the Black Forest near Colorado Springs on Wednesday, June 12.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – A house burns late in the evening on Tuesday, June 11, northeast of Colorado Springs.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – Firefighters from the Black Forest Fire Department race toward a burning home near Colorado Springs on June 11.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – A house burns near Colorado Springs on June 11.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – El Paso County Sheriff's Deputy Dan Cukowski helps Linda Davies walk her livestock out from the evacuated area in Colorado Springs on June 11.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – Andrew Dunlap and his father, Dave Dunlap, watch as a wildfire burns behind their house in Colorado Springs on June 11.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – Motorists stop along Interquest Parkway in Colorado Springs on June 11 to watch the advance of a wildfire burning in the Black Forest.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – Lynd Fitzgerald sprays fire retardant around a house in Colorado Springs on June 11.

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Wildfires spread across Colorado – A wildfire burns in the Black Forest near Colorado Springs on June 11.

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Wildfires in Southern California 18 photos

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Wildfires in Southern California – A helicopter drops fire retardant on a flareup of the Powerhouse Fire near Lake Hughes, California, on Monday, June 3. More than 2,000 firefighters are battling the blaze, which started on May 30 and has spread to more than 30,000 acres about 70 miles north of Los Angeles.

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Wildfires in Southern California – A raven flies in front of a flareup that broke through a containment line on June 3.

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Wildfires in Southern California – Firefighters watch a hillside burn near Lake Hughes on June 3.

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Wildfires in Southern California – A helicopter fills up from Lake Hughes to battle the Powerhouse wildfire on June 3 in Palmdale.

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Wildfires in Southern California – A firefighting helicopter drops fire retardant on a flareup on June 3.

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Wildfires in Southern California – Sparks fly from a hollowed burning tree at the Powerhouse Fire on Sunday, June 2, near Lake Hughes, California.

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Wildfires in Southern California – Firefighters move equipment to battle a fire in Lancaster, California, on June 2.

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Wildfires in Southern California – A house near Lake Hughes burns in the Powerhouse Fire on June 2.

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Wildfires in Southern California – Firefighters battle the flames near Lake Hughes on June 2.

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Wildfires in Southern California – An electrical line pole burns in two pieces after the wildfire ripped through the area overnight in Lake Hughes on June 2.

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Wildfires in Southern California – The ruins of a house destroyed in the Powerhouse Fire smolder on June 2 near Lake Hughes.

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Wildfires in Southern California – Firefighters battle the Powerhouse wildfire at the Angeles National Forest on Saturday, June 1.

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Wildfires in Southern California – Firefighters battle the Powerhouse wildfire at the Angeles National Forest on June 1.

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Wildfires in Southern California – Hills glow with fire as the blaze sweeps through an area near Lake Hughes on June 1.

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Wildfires in Southern California – Brush glows immediately after the main fire front sweeps through on its way toward Lake Hughes on June 1.

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Wildfires in Southern California – A firefighter inspects the inside of a structure as the Powerhouse fire closes in around the Canyon Creek Complex sports camp south of Lake Hughes on June 2.

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Wildfires in Southern California – Firefighters watch as the Powerhouse Fire bears down on them as it approaches Lake Hughes on June 1.

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Wildfires in Southern California – A firefighter watches from a rooftop as the Powerhouse Fire nears the Canyon Creek Complex sports camp during south of Lake Hughes on June 1.

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"We'll see if there's anything when we get back," Vigil said.

Beating back the fire

More than 2,000 firefighters are battling the blaze in the steep, rugged terrain west of Yosemite.

Summer wildfires are nothing new in California. But this one is happening weeks earlier than normal, and comes as parts of the state experience "exceptional" dryness that could fuel flames.

"We usually see this sort of fire behavior in August. This is June," said Gary Wuchner, fire spokesman for Yosemite National Park. "It's making us nervous."

The Carstens Fire was first spotted Sunday afternoon, after embers from a campfire that hadn't been totally put out spread into the surrounding forest.

By Tuesday night, it had burned nearly 1,900 acres, of which 40% was considered contained, according to CalFire. Some 2,200 fire personnel were working the scene, using 53 engines, 11 water tenders, seven bulldozers and other equipment. Some 800 structures are being threatened.

The evacuations forced some residents into the Red Cross shelter at Mariposa Elementary School. Officials are there with food, medical help and other basics.

"We also have a mental health worker to help those that are overstressed emotionally from the ordeal of being uprooted from their home," Cindy Thomas of the Red Cross told KGPE.

Not everyone is heeding the calls to evacuate, however.

Among them is Paul "Bear" Vasquez. More than 37 million people have viewed his YouTube video showing him becoming overjoyed and then breaking down at the site of a vibrant double rainbow over a mountain in 2010.

Today, that mountain is singed by the Carstens Fire. But Vasquez says he's staying on the property he bought in 1998, hacking out of the wilderness a spot for the home where he's raised his children.

"I am the protector of this land," he said. "I am part of this place. It has magical powers, and I can't leave."